GP Claims She Was Forced Out of NHS Job After Raising Gender Treatment Concerns

A general practitioner who raised concerns about the treatment of children questioning their gender identity alleges she was accused of transphobia, bullied, and harassed out of her child protection role within the NHS. Dr. Sarah Redvers, who served as a named safeguarding GP, stated she underwent a rigorous investigation after forwarding complaints from other doctors.

Redvers told the BBC that she felt her ability to do her job was stifled when she questioned whether another GP was adequately assessing the needs of young individuals experiencing distress about their gender identity. She has filed a constructive dismissal claim against the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) and its former chief executive, Adam Doyle.

During a three-week employment tribunal hearing, Redvers testified that the focus on investigating her appeared to sideline patient safety issues. "I was just bewildered really that the medical and safeguarding issues were completely lost," she said. "It's really risky."

NHS Surrey and Sussex acknowledged that "some employment processes should have been handled differently" and has apologized to Redvers. In June 2026, an independent NHS safety investigation found that dozens of children, some as young as 13, had been inappropriately prescribed drugs at the WellBN practice, the clinic where the other doctor worked. The report indicated that 78 children may have been harmed after receiving puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones without proper checks. This review stemmed from a drug assessment in autumn 2024, not directly from Redvers' initial concerns raised years prior.

NHS England stated that it was "totally unacceptable" for young people to be put at risk of harm due to practitioners at the WellBN practice providing care not commissioned by the NHS. Redvers expressed her distress upon learning about the medical scandal, noting that it could have been prevented because concerns had been raised appropriately with leadership.

Redvers, with extensive experience working with vulnerable groups, was a named safeguarding GP for Sussex, a role that involved advising other doctors on patient safety concerns. In July 2020, a doctor approached her with worries about a patient who had sought treatment from an online clinic registered overseas. This doctor sought assistance in continuing testosterone prescriptions for a vulnerable 18-year-old female distressed about her gender. The Brighton GP, Dr. Sam Hall, had also advised on such prescriptions.

Redvers' concerns centered on Hall recommending treatments for patients he had not assessed or met, and which other GPs were hesitant to prescribe. After consulting NHS England, Redvers was advised to file a whistleblower complaint. While NHSE investigated and initially found Hall's practice satisfactory, further concerns emerged over subsequent months from several GPs regarding the quality of assessments, the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and the lack of specialist supervision at the WellBN clinic.

During a second NHS investigation into her concerns, Redvers was informed of a "general worry" about potential allegations of transphobia. Dr. Hall, a transgender man who qualified as a GP in 2019, is a known campaigner for transgender rights and had spoken about the importance of "affirmative care." He was also involved in setting up a Trans Health hub and a local trans support charity.

The second NHS investigation, which examined the full scope of Hall's work, found no cause for concern. However, it noted "one colleague whose persistent interest in the issue appeared disproportionate," which Redvers interpreted as a reference to herself.

Redvers maintained that her concerns focused on the quality of medical care and the evidence supporting treatments, not on personal views regarding gender. She characterized suggestions of transphobia as "appalling" and dangerous for obscuring critical medical and safeguarding issues. In 2021, while awaiting the outcome of the second investigation, Redvers referred Hall to the General Medical Council (GMC) following a concern raised by local mental health services about a vulnerable 15-year-old patient. Hall subsequently emailed Adam Doyle, then CEO of NHS Sussex, complaining of victimization and requesting protection.

During the tribunal, it emerged that Doyle had previously engaged in mentoring meetings with Hall, despite initially denying knowledge of him. The GMC investigation did not proceed, but the NHS initiated its own investigation into Redvers. She described this as a "brutal" four-hour interrogation, stating it was "oppressive, very upsetting," and that she felt she had no opportunity to explain the situation, leading her to break down and take several months off work for trauma treatment.

Other colleagues interviewed as part of the investigation into Redvers also raised complaints, most of which were upheld by the NHS. The investigation's conclusion warned that Redvers' treatment could negatively impact staff willingness to raise concerns. In 2023, after a trans advocate allegedly suggested she was transphobic in an NHS meeting, Redvers felt the NHS had not adequately supported her and resigned from her safeguarding GP position. "I just felt there's no way I could carry on working in this organisation," she told the BBC.

Around the same time, parents, school governors, and social workers began voicing concerns about WellBN and Hall. Rachel Cashman, co-founder of the campaign group PSHE Brighton, called it a "travesty that Sarah Redvers was punished for doing her job safeguarding and expecting the best standards of care for gender distressed children."

Redvers is awaiting the outcome of her employment tribunal, which could take several months. She described the experience as "personally and professionally difficult" and urged the NHS to prioritize patients and listen to staff who raise legitimate concerns.

NHS Surrey and Sussex stated they engaged professionally and supportively with the tribunal, acknowledging that some processes could have been handled differently and offering apologies. NHS England confirmed it began investigating WellBN in 2023 after a family raised concerns about its prescribing practices, with a further independent patient safety investigation initiated in 2025.

Dr. Sam Hall and WellBN have been contacted for comment. WellBN issued a statement acknowledging the seriousness of the matters raised and affirming its commitment to providing compassionate, safe, and effective care.